Recently, the UMass Boston Softball team has been on a tear. According to Beacons Athletics, they started the season with a 16–2 record, the best start in the history of the program. However, that has recently come to a halt with their doubleheaders against Rhode Island College and Emerson College [1].
In the first match of their series against the Anchormen, the Beacons found themselves in a 1–0 hole after two innings. They managed to tie the game in the top of the third, though, after Kaitlyn Sawyer drove in Sofie Richland on a single. However, that would be a very short-lived tie, as the Anchormen added on three more runs in the bottom half [2].
That would be the last of the runs scored, and the Beacons would lose their third game of the season, 4–1, but the Anchormen weren’t done. In the second game, the Anchormen pulled no punches. The Beacons were dominated from start to finish, only managing to get two hits as opposed to the Anchormen, who got 12 [2].
The Beacons would lose 8–0, being shut out for the first time this season. This is also the first time the Beacons would lose two in a row all season [1]. It was a tough blow for the Beacons, as the Anchormen are LEC rivals, but according to goanchormen.com, this was bound to be a tough matchup, as the Anchormen had the same record as the Beacons going into the games [3].
The next series against the Lions would have been a good opportunity for the Beacons to bounce back, but that did not happen. According to Beacons Athletics, the Beacons got on the board first with Mya Perron driving in Hayley Krockta on a sacrifice fly in the second inning. However, the next three innings would see the Beacons outscored 7–1, their only run in that stretch being when Perron drove Krockta in again in the fourth [4].
Bri Melchionda would drive in one last run before the game ended, but the Beacons would ultimately lose 7–3 in the first half of the doubleheader. The second game would rip the bandaid off early, as the Lions opened the game with three quick runs. The next run would not be until the fifth inning when the Beacons’ Lauren Miner scored on an error [4].
The Lions would stack on two more runs before the game ended, defeating the Beacons 5–1 [4]. This has been the most brutal stretch of the season for the team. The Beacons’ coach, Natalia Ardagna has not commented on the losing streak, but one could imagine that these were not the results they were expecting.
This stretch could be an important stepping stone for the Beacons. A humbling can always motivate a team to work harder and play better. With a stretch of conference matchups coming up, the Beacons will strive to rebound from this and get back on track to winning games like they were earlier [1].
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